Troublesome
by Beautiful Phantom
Summary: In another world the little boy got a she-devil instead. And he grew attached. As she would have said, "How troublesome!" (A Series of Vignettes) -No romantic pairing! Yet?-
1. 0: Contract

Prologue: Contract

* * *

"If ye agree to this, thy soul will also be mine." A disembodied voice echoed, as a veil of cloudy darkness fell to disguise the writhing bodies on the bloodied floor.

He whimpered, his head aching. Only one angry thought had broken through the heavy grief and pain, "Yes! I demand it! I desire it! I need it! Revenge is my life now!" His calloused hands gripped the bars that imprisoned him, and pressed his worn face between a gap. He shouted, his decision firm, "Free me, and I will become your master in life, and meal in death!"

The silence was stretching, few moans of pain rang from the devil's dying victims, "Very well...With thy words ye sealed the contract of our agreement. The contract," the voice, now decidedly feminine, paused, as a long black nail tapped over his right eye, "became thy right eye."

A splintering pain struck that eye, like lightning, and he screamed from reflex.

Thin hands cupped his face, slowing his cries, and a pair of soft lips met the skin of his right eyelid. The pain faded, in an instant, "Treat me kindly, Master…"

His eyes slid open, one shined with a glowing pentagram, and saw a _human_ woman kneeling before him, his cage in ruin, "Ciel. I am Ciel." Her eyes were colored dark blue-grey.

A tiny laugh fled her lips, the sound somehow sad, "Very well, Master Ciel. Treat me kindly, won't you?"

* * *

This story is a dedication to **xx-BlackXRoseXLust-xx**! If you are reading this, Black Rose, please know that you are missed and we all are praying for your speedy recovery!

* * *

A/N: I got stuck on _Lady Exorcist_, so out of spur of a moment I decided to start another story. Though this one will be a vignette series instead. I will admit this is also a way to see if I can get someone to help me to get me unstuck on _Lady Exorcist_.

As for this little tale, I'm not sure where to go with this. You readers are welcome to throw in suggestions.

Anyway, enjoy the vignette series! The update may be very sporadic though, and may be only updated when I feel like it.


	2. 1: Voices

Chapter One: Voices

* * *

There were shouting, but he paid them no minds. She will take care of them soon enough, he absently thought. She always had. He continued writing letters to the business men who begged his attention, placing his work a priority over the abstract voices. It was a warm day, for a cold season, and the high sun kept him company in his lonesome study.

"Gahhhhh!"

Then there was an explosion downstairs that vibrated his home. His pen left a long mark on a letter, scarring the paper with a long fat line of ink. There was no possible way he could have salvage it. He felt an eyebrow twitching. He took in a long sharp breath, before exhaling, relaxing the tightness in his back. It worked, but barely.

He placed down the pen, and stood up, the leather of his seat making gruesome noises of snapping away from the skin of his bare legs it was attached to.

He clapped his hands, the force sending the too-big sapphire-studded ring to twist on his thumb, "Kagome."

With the name she appeared, already bending at her waist, "Yes, milord?" Long hair floated gently down to her back.

"Tell me what just happened." His voice was chilling even to his ears, but Kagome didn't flinch.

She rose to her full height, her face impassive and her gloved hands at her back, "Baldroy decided he wanted to work on a new device, sir, despite my warnings against it."

"You didn't stop it, why?" He frowned.

Kagome's shoulders grew more rigid, "Mey-Rin's life was at stake."

His eyebrow rose.

She continued, "She was on a ladder, sir, and she dropped a plate. I had to choose between Baldroy and Mey-Rin."

He accepted the explanation, seeing the mental scene that occurred. He had to cringe, in his head, on what would have happened if Kagome chose to stop the explosion instead. Materials are replaceable, lives are not. "Very well. Bring Baldroy in. I would like to hear his excuses."

"Yes, Master Ciel." Heels clanked away.

Ciel forced the picture of her legs away from his mind, and leaned against his desk.

Here he was, a not-yet-a-teenaged earl, flushing and lusting after a woman's laced legs underneath. How embarrassing. Curse her scandalous taste in fashion!

His lady butler knew it, but did not poke fun of it. Much. She kept herself at an arm-distance, but offered support when he needed it the most. Kagome was everything for him; servant, tutor, counselor, and even a…friend. His closest one he ever had, even if she remained _mostly _detached.

Heavy feet clamored his way, and Baldroy entered, with a glowering Kagome close behind. The blond man had his face burnt black, and his once blond hair the same color. He was looking at everywhere but his young master.

"Baldroy…"

Meanwhile Kagome made away to clean up Baldroy had left behind. She went past a sighing Mey-Rin, a concerned Finnian, and a tea-sipping Tanaka to the kitchen. "How troublesome," the lady butler sighed at the blackened pantry.

* * *

A/N: Surprise update! And I have no idea who the temporary cover's original artist is. I wanted to give credits, but…sighs, it's temporary until I can make my own cover. The woman in the cover is probably what Kagome looked like, fyi. So scandalous~

Still looking for a beta-reader! c:'

*Edited: 5/17/14. Minor corrections with Mey-Rin's name. My apologizes!


	3. 2: Toying

Chapter Two: Toying

* * *

The man wept, after he landed on his face in the dirt once he was hauled away from the Lady Butler. She just flipped him over her shoulder, in such a grateful way that she didn't seem burdened or tired at all from the foreigner's attack. "How-how?! You're a woman! How can you even defeat my Thousand Tigers and Roaring Dragons Scatter Pain Split technique?!" Disgraced with a bloodied nose, he refused to look at Kagome, "Just who the hell are you?!"

Kagome was verily amused, clapping her hands from dust, "I am the Lady Butler of the Phantomhive Family. I'd be ashamed if I cannot live up to their expectations to handle such a meager technique like yours!" The foreigner fled after her laughing exclamation.

She smiled at the grumbling Ciel, who was with the three starry-eyed servants and an older gentleman to watch the challenge, "Since I failed your hope of seeing me defeated, you will take on extra lessons and review for tomorrow's before suppertime~" He only replied with more grumbles. Still he was glad to see such a backward bastard on his knees in tears.

Finnian squealed, "That's 50 wins in a row, Miss Kagome!"

Mey-Rin blushed, "That's, ah, Miss Kagome for you."

"Isn't she freaking awesome?!" Baldroy grinned, his hair, since the explosion that occurred last week, had been trimmed shorter.

Kagome clapped her hands, smiling kindly at their flattering, "Thanks for your kind words."

"Geh, and the troubles I went through…I even went as far as the mysterious lands to fetch a Chinese martial arts expert. What a shame." Ciel sighed, "I was hoping today would be the day to see you on the knees."

"I apologized to have disappointed you, young master." Kagome for her words doesn't looked a slightest bit apologetic, "I do must caution you to be more careful with your choices of words in the future, milord. I hear women on their knees have a far different definition than men on their knees." She pondered aloud.

This garnered Ciel sputtering and coughing and all entirely red-faced. Mey-Rin and Finnian were also wore the same shade of red on their faces, one more shocked than the other. Baldroy gave a massive grin at this jest.

Tanaka, standing next to the young earl, merely chuckled.

"Say…" Kagome frowned, as she turned to the three servants, "Why are you three here? Did I not assign you lots chores today?" They froze, "Did Mey-Rin finish her laundry?" The bespectacled maid giggled weakly, "Did Finnian finished the weeding in the garden?" The bright-eyed boy was twiddling his thumbs, "Had Baldroy finish cooking the supper?" The chef paled, "Had _any_ of you done your works?" Her voice dropped lower at every word.

They bolted.

For her friendly, if not scandalous appearance, Kagome was extremely strict and did not tolerant excuses.

"Speaking of works, quit toying with fools and let's get a move on." Ciel snapped, his hands on the table, and Kagome was quick to move his chair, "I got a call from Chlaus from Italy."

"Mr. Chlaus?" Kagome remembered.

Ciel nodded, "Yes, we need to talk."

* * *

EDIT as of 5.20.14. Fixed a blatant misspelling. No idea how it happened, when it was correct in my word program. Must have happened during the uploading. My sincerest apologizes!


	4. 3: Expectations

Chapter Three: Expectations

* * *

In the library she stood with her heels poised, as Ciel was flipping through his newspaper, "Mr. Chlaus is coming to England?" She summarized.

"Yes, he got considerable amount of the goods, and contacted us." Ciel hummed, reclining in his overstuffed seat, "He will arrive at 6 today, and we will carry out the negotiations here." The papers crackled underneath his fingers while he shot Kagome a mischievous smile, "I'm sure you are aware of what this meant, Kagome."

Kagome bowed, with a confident glint in her eyes, "We will provide Mr. Chlaus the best Phantomhive hospitality, milord. Have faith in me."

Ciel waved her away, "Have fun."

With that, she went to make everything beautiful.

She turned everything silver and glittering, in the rose garden. She readied the finest plates on the table. She made a meal unrivaled to any chef.

The finest hospitality only the Phantomhive family can offer!

Kagome was just starting the beef when a bell rang. She glared, "What does my troublesome master want during such this busy time?" She pulled down her sleeves and pulled on her jacket, and left the kitchen, unattended.

Big mistake.

"No, you cannot have any sweets. You will spoil your appetite."

"It will be fine. Just make me a parfait."

"No."

Once when she finally left her disappointed master, she found her hard works…

Demolished. Wrecked. _Eradicated!_

Her garden had been turned into a crow-riddled wasteland.

Her good tea cups from the shelf, _shattered on the floor_.

The _meat_ was **scorched** _black_!

Her silent fury needed no words to make the three untalented servants into shivering messes.

"We're so sorry!" They chorused together, weeping.

Kagome pitched the bridge of her nose, tucking in an arm underneath her chest, "Just…tell me what just happened. Please. I'm beyond baffled at how much damages you three did, in such a short time I was gone."

Finnian, snot-nosed and ashamed, "I was killing weeds, and I…I didn't know the lid of the weed killers was open."

Mey-Rin whimpered, her glasses were cracked, "I brought out the guest's tea set when I…I pushed the cart. And it-it crashed into the shelf…"

Baldroy kept his eyes on the floor, his hair fluffy and singed and his mortified face was underneath a layer of soot, "I burned the raw meat with the flamethrower…"

They all bawled, singing 'We're so sorry!' song to her and saying they just wanted to prove themselves to her. Kagome didn't bother to calm down those three, as they would have persisted regardless what she told them. She clicked open her pocketwatch, and frowned.

_Two hours left before Mr. Chlaus arrives, with little to nothing to replace the damages…How troublesome._

Her original expectations had been dashed to burnt nothing.

* * *

A/N: Hmmm, look like I'd be following the manga on the most parts…:/ I gotta figure out where the originality should start, hahah;;; Probably after the kidnapping arc, maybe?

EDITED as of 5.23.14, minor fix. used wrong word.


	5. 4: Idea

Chapter Four: Idea

* * *

Kagome rubbed her face, and was made aware that the good ol' Tanaka took his place near a wall, content and proper, "You lots should follow Sir Tanaka's example and behave more like adu-" Her eyes grew wide when they spotted the Japanese cup the old man was holding, "That's it!" She gasped, breaking the tear-fest into still silence and Tanaka stopped his cheerful humming, curious.

She patted, "Please listen to what I have to say!" Kagome, with permission, took Tanaka's cup, and displayed it to the confused trios, "We will do _this_."

"Wahhh…?"

Baldroy was made to trim off whatever good left in the scorched meat, "Ya sure this is okay?"

"Yes, just have faith in me." Her smile was disarming, and the chef's worries had been melted into nothingness.

"Oh, alright. Put 'em on the rice…" He was left to his muttering, following Kagome's directions.

Her name was called in a cheery shout, "I found them!" Kagome blanched when she saw Mey-Rin's _running_ to her, with dangerously towering boxes in her arms, "I found them, Miss Kago-ahhnnnnnAHHHH!" Boxes flew and the floor was looming toward the poor maid's face.

All it took was the waxed floor, where Kagome skid to save the day, with the fallen Mey-Rin protected in an arm, and a hand cupping a tall stack of precious boxes and one teeing on the very tip of her shoe, "Do please be more careful, Mey-Rin. There's a good reason why I forbid running in the manor."

The bespectacled maid swooned, feeling the lady butler's breasts being squished on her back, "Ah, so-sorry…My glasses are broken so I can't see very well. I-I got excited that I found these boxes that I-I forgot the rule…" She was shifted away from Kagome and was left abandoned on the ground to her sighing. The female butler moved to put away the boxes for safety.

"Well, as long as these are safe, I can pardon this incident." Kagome murmured, gracefully removing the box from the top tip of her stiletto, "But it seemed your balance still needed more work."

"Awaaaahhh~"

"The heck is wrong with you?" Baldroy muttered to the maid, who by then fainted, her face planted into her apron. He rose a brow, before he returned to the meat.

Finnian skipped his way in the kitchen, his face cheery, not minding the hot-faced Mey-Rin. He waved with brought objects in arms, "I got 'em, Miss Kagome~got the gravel and the stuffs you said to get at the gardening store!"

Kagome nodded with a relieved smile, "Good, good! I will take care of the rest then!" She wiped her hands dry, "From now on, do act like _adults_!" Her voice, venomous, warned.

They squeaked, "Yes, madam!"

* * *

A/N: Finally got the real cover made! :D What do you think?

The completed version (which included these lovely legs and these _heels!_) are in this link: ** fav DOT me/d7ingxh  
**Just add the period to replace the DOT.**  
**

Or you can go to my profile and just go to my LovelyPoison account or just google for my dA. Whichever is quicker for you. c:

Edited, 5.17.14: Minor corrections. Just realized I had been keeping Mey-Rin's name inconsistent with misspellings. My sincerest apologizes.


	6. 5: Dog

Chapter Five: Dog

* * *

"Ciel! Are you well?!" Ciel looked up from his lesson book while sitting outside to wait for a guest, and saw a familiar gentleman, with an unleashed white dog.

"Mr. Chlaus," He murmured, on his feet with the book tucked closed in a hand, eying the German Shepherd, "I didn't know you even have a dog, Mr. Chlaus. Mind if I pet him?"

Mr. Chlaus had a deep chest laugh, gathering the boy into his arms in a squeezing hug, "Of course me boy! He's friendly, and won't bite ya!" Ciel rubbed the dog's head, feeling the course fur running underneath the pads of his fingers. The dog's tail wagged, rumbling with pleasure.

He allowed the boy to slip out from the embrace, "Had ol' Ailbhe since he was a runt! Kept me good company during long trips, he did!" His laugh ended with a worried frown, "I wouldn't take him with if my London home was in a better shape. A lad said there was an accident, a carriage crashing through the gate and smashed my door open. How particular."

Ailbhe whined, ears flattened from his master's sad tone.

"Oh?" Ciel was curious, "Now how did that happened? That sort of thing would have just ended with the gate."

"Indeed! I took him with, don't want my best bud running out in the street on temptation!" Mr. Chlaus grinned, almost sheepishly, "You don't mind, do you? I can keep him out in the yard, if you prefer."

Ciel waved, demolishing his guest's worries, "It is fine. I had a dog before, so he's welcome inside my home." He stepped up the stairs, "Come along now! I don't want to keep my impatient servants waiting."

Mr. Chlaus looked relieved, "Oh, good. I didn't wish to offend you, but it was a reckless decision." With a gesture, the dog followed close behind his master, "Say, had you grown?"

The young earl grunted, a hand turning the knob, "Not an inch, sorry to disappoint you."

The gentleman laughed, "You haven't changed at all! So rude!"

"You're the same as ever." Ciel rebutted, pushing the door open, and allowed Mr. Chlaus to see the sight of inside his home.

"Welcome, Sir Chlaus!" Five servants chorused, all at their waists, and with a smile, as the interior sparkled and shined with beauty of cleanness.

The gentleman was awed, "Oh…oh, my."

* * *

A/N: Review please? I really would like to know how this little story had been taken. Is it good? Bad?

Could it be the lack of originality? (This is being worked on, that I can promise you.)

Please let me know. Criticisms are always appreciated.


	7. 6: Welcome

Chapter Six: Welcome

* * *

"Oh, oh, how…beautiful." Mr. Chlaus had no words to describe the decorated home. It was only through the dog barked that he snapped out of his stupor, "Oh, my, you lots have outdone yourselves!" He tipped his head to the young gardener, "And I see a new face here, eh?"

Kagome bowed politely in front of the gentleman, "Sir Chlaus, we have been awaiting you."

"Ah, Miss Kagome, it had been a while!" Mr. Chlaus grinned, "Still beautiful as ever, I see."

"Oh, don't flatter me, sir." She beamed, introducing an excited Finnian, "Please allow Finnian to take your jacket and your hat, if you may."

The gentleman plopped the hat on Finnian's head, "Certainly, dear lassie! Mind Ailbhe, please."

Finnian gasped at the sight of the white dog, "Doggie! Can I-?"

Kagome shook her head, "Not yet. Put up the hat and the jacket first, _and then_ you can ask Mr. Chlaus."

He wilted, "Oh, okay." Finnian rushed away to just that.

"Eh, didn't know he even had a dog, with all of that travelin' around he did." Baldroy murmured to Mey-Rin. She nodded in agreement.

"Now then! If you would like to speak with my lord, please enter the courtyard." Kagome gestured to the opened door, "I must do supper preparations."

Mr. Chlaus blinked, "Courtyard?" Instead of the usual dinner room?

"Yes, as ordered by my lord, we prepared entertainments for you. We hope it pleases you." He looked outside.

The gentleman's jaws dropped at the sight, "The rock garden from Japan! How brilliant!" The garden was lined with smooth lines of mounded gravels, echoing after the other like rivers, and few dead, blackened trees scattered about. Few corners had blooming irises.

He ignored Kagome's words, she was saying something about teas, "_Prodigioso*_! How do you do this?!" Stuck on the aesthetic feeling of it all, he mindlessly followed Ciel to take a seat.

Meanwhile the female butler glared at the quietly-snarling white dog, "Behave yourself, son of the white dog. I will not hesitate to get rid of you and replace you." Ailbhe shut up and whimpered, his tail tucked in between his legs. He ran after his master and plopped his hide down on the ground, trembling.

"I look forward for the evening meal!" Mr. Chlaus roared, "If the garden can't be beat, then surely so can't the supper!"

* * *

A/N:_ *Prodigioso_-translated from Italian/Spanish, "Great!" "Wonderful!" Or something similar along these lines. May or may not be accurate. Feel free to correct me!

Review please! c:'

EDIT as of 5.25.14, split two words. It seemed they got stuck together during the uploading. My apologizes.


	8. 7: Supper

Chapter Seven: Supper

* * *

Kagome bit back a dramatic sigh, when she realized the goods the whole time was a rival's game Ciel was eying after. Such a troublesome child. Anything to overthrow competition, she supposed. But, she need to interrupt their discussion, "Please pardon the wait, the evening meal's preparation has been arranged at last."

"Oh?" Mr. Chlaus blinked, already excited.

She continued, "Today's menu is the chef, Baldroy's Beef Donburi."

Donburi?

Mr. Chlaus frowned, "I am not familiar…" Kagome placed the bowl before him, and he eyed it suspiciously, "Is this really the evening meal?" It looked _plain_, a platter of oiled beefs over white rice.

"Yes." She rose the gentleman's chin to her face, and _purred, _"You must thank the laborers from ancient Japan for Donburi. It was of them that they gave all of their feelings of gratitude in this food." Mr. Chlaus felt his face burning from such a close proximity of his face to the Lady Butler's lips and seductive eyes. The finger that held his chin dropped, and she finished with a sweeping bow, "That is _Donburi_!"

Ciel twitched from the sight. Damn flirt!

Kagome laughed, "Too much?" Ciel glared, to affirm the answer. Mr. Chlaus only sputtered, still red-faced. She clasped her hands, resuming her lesson on the history of the supper her young master and his guest were served, "Regardless, a former peasant, desiring for extravagant foods, invented Donburi with more accessible ingredients, and made it so everyone of his home village and beyond can enjoy such a fanciful meal. And I also thought Mr. Chlaus might be weary of meals of too many favors. Instead perhaps you can savor only the meat, thus I brought myself to pursuit this idea."

Inside, the trios, plus Tanaka, spied. "Wow, what a way to impress a fellow." Baldroy whistled. Finnian stared, sparkly-eyed, while Mey-Rin squealed, almost in envy.

Mey-Rin gasped, her fingers curling in anticipation, "Ah, my duty is next!"

Shock eventually fled Mr. Chlaus, and he burst out in an impressed laughter, "This is marvelous! Never had I been teased so mercilessly for humor!" He eyed the food, "You never crease to impress me, Ciel!"

Ciel huffed, a smirk made its' way on his lips despite his annoyance with his female butler, "That's an honor."

The nosy employers cheered.

"I shouldn't be so surprised of your knowledge, Miss Kagome, given you were born and raised in Japan, were you not?" Mr. Chlaus praised, "Still, impressive!"

"Yes, that is correct, Japan was my birth home." She smiled at his compliment, "Thank you kindly."

Mr. Chlaus salivated at the meat, ignoring his hungry dog's whining, "Miss Kagome spoke the truth. I am weary of Italy's stuffy foods." He prepared the napkin under his collar, "As one would say it, _itadakimasu*_!"

* * *

A/N:_ itadakimasu_-"I gratefully receive." This is spoken before one begins eating. This is part of Japanese table manners.

May update one more chapter later today~

EDITED as of 5.21.14, minor tweaks on tenses. Kind thanks to Random Writer's Account!


	9. 8: Soiled

Chapter Eight: Soiled

* * *

The wine pouring was a flunk. Mey-Rin went blank-minded from stress, when Kagome introduced the alcohol. She then had to remind her to pour into the eating Mr. Chlaus' glass, by the whispering in the maid's ear. Because of closeness of the female butler's skin, Mey-Rin transformed into a nervous swooning wreck and spun her way toward the table.

And soiled the tablecloth with wine.

Ciel stared, wide-eyed, the clasped piece of meat halfway to his mouth. Baldroy and Finnian were freaking out, their hard works had been undone by Mey-Rin's clumsy accident.

Mr. Chlaus was, thankfully, distracted, by both the scenery and the begging dog he was giving tiny pieces of meat to.

It was a second-split decision and even a quicker action, Kagome ripped the cloth off the table and folded it into a perfect square, without even disturbing the plates, glasses, the eating utensils, and decorations that sat on the table. She tucked the cloth underneath her chest.

Ciel resumed eating. Two snooping males released a sigh of relief.

The dog released a delayed bark of surprise, prompting his owner to look, "Eh?!" Mr. Chlaus shouted at the absent cloth, "Where did the tablecloth go?!"

Ciel swallowed the food, "Don't let it worry you. It got a bit dirty, so it was removed."

Kagome tipped at her waist, "We apologized for the inconvenience. Please continue enjoying your meal." She retreated to the inside, where she was treated with praises from the men, and babbling apologizes from the mortified maid.

She planted herself against a wall, relieved, "Oh, my, just in time too." The stained cloth drooped from her chest.

Baldroy coughed, his skin hot, "Umm, Miss Kagome, you might want to change your bl-blouse."

Kagome opened her eyes and saw Finnian cupping his face out of embarrassment and Mey-Rin, who was once again, passed out on the floor with her head in her apron. Tanaka was still tossing confetti, for whatever reasons he himself only knew. "Hm?" She looked down, and saw her chest stained brightly red, from when she was hugging the damped tablecloth, "Oh, oh my, how troublesome."

* * *

A/N: Early update, as a thanks to a lovely reviewer, Random Writer's Account!

Criticisms are always appreciated!


	10. 9: Delicious

Chapter Nine: Delicious

* * *

"I must say, as strange as it was to have a woman as your butler, she really is quite skillful and far more suited to that demanding position than any men." Mr. Chlaus sighed, almost in envy, "I almost wished to have her in my employment, certainly."

Ciel smiled, flattered by his compliment to his lady butler, "It is only natural for I to have such a skillful servant, as unconventional of Miss Kagome's gender." He chuckled, twining his fingers together and set his elbows down on the table, not minding the manners as a child are used to do, "Why, I even think it was her being a woman had brought me even more opportunities, than any plain butler could."

Mr. Chlaus blinked, "Oh?" Realizations dawned, and he laughed, "It seemed even the coldest businessmen had fallen for her charms, eh? I didn't even think you manipulated _that _into playing your games." Without his notices, his dog, Ailbhe slipped away.

The earl did, and he narrowed his eye, but made no moves to bring the wandering dog to attention. If Mr. Chlaus failed to train his dog completely, then that's the blame he must accept. Ciel could only hope the animal would not leave any additional chores for his overworked servants.

Ciel smiled, thin cruelty dancing on his lips, "All children are greedy when it comes to games, Mr. Chlaus. Surely you know that."

"Yes, yes," the gentleman sighed excessively, "surely she must have possessed some extraordinary skills to be part of your employment? That's quite strict of you."

The boy toyed with a shiny spoon, "Naturally, but I didn't hire her just for that." He caught his reflection and it looked back at him, smiling wickedly, "I haven't had my sweets more delicious than those by Miss Kagome's."

Mr. Chlaus rolled into a laughter, "Sweets? That's your main reason, eh?"

Ciel didn't reply to his jest, and turned his eye to the door ahead, "I await in anticipation for desserts."


	11. 10: Absence

Chapter Ten: Absence

* * *

After teasing the youthful gardener and the sweet-toothed chef and a changed blouse, Kagome brought out plates of salivating sweets and passed a plate toward her young master and then to the guest. It was then she noticed the absence of the guest's treasured dog. A glance to her master for a silent permission to retreat, she left to hunt when he dropped his head in a tiny nod.

Kagome paced through the side of the manor, and spotted the gleaming white eyes of the dog, glaring at her. Broken pieces of the steel gate shined from his grinding teeth. Small portions of the fence itself was wrecked, the bars bended and ripped.

"Ah, so it was you who destroyed your master's fence." Kagome murmured, "What a terrible pet you are. You cannot control your appetite, it seemed."

"Oh, sod off, whore! " The dog yapped, the snout rolled into multiple folds, proudly showing off his large, sharp teeth.

Kagome gave a mock gasp, "Oh so you can speak!" She shook her head, "Tsk tsk, what a mouth you have." She tapped a finger on her chin, wondering out loud, "So how did a carriage come in play? Had you frighten the horse with your shiny eyes and drove it to wreck the door? There was no gate any longer, I imagined."

"You damned my ancestors!" Ailbhe snarled, having already devoured the metal. Ripples of raised fur stood from his back, deep growls fleeing from his throat.

"My, my, you lots still think that?" the female butler sighed, "Such a stubborn brood, honestly…" She glanced at the damages, "I still intend to keep my warnings, son of the white dog. If you do not comply, I shall rid you and gift your dear master a dog not of your brood and he will not know otherwise."

The dog paused his snarling, thinking twice.

"Had your stomach won out, or shall you comply?" Kagome eyed the animal.

She didn't get an answer.

"Misssss Kaaaaagooommmeee! Dogggggieeee!" It was Finnian, looking for now noticed missing the favorite butler and the pet dog.

Kagome cupped her cheek, "Oh dear Sir Chlaus noticed your absence, mutt." She frowned at the missing fence, "And I must fix what you damaged. Disciplines will come to you later, which I am positive of."

Ailbhe whimpered, his ears were flattened against his skull, and his tail tucked under his hide.

"Ah, there you two are!" Finnian gasped, spotting the pair.

Kagome gave him a gentle smile, after she was caught patting the scared-faced pet, "Finnian, how can I help you?" The fence was returned in its' former glory.

"Mr. Chlaus wanted to thank you for your hard works today!" He grinned widely, excited.

Her fingers flew to her lips, wide eyes blinking, "Oh? But it was unnecessary…" She cupped her cheek, "I only did so as my master bid me to. It is, after all, my duty."

"Yeah, well, he wanted to, anyway. He already did to Mr. Tanaka, Mey-Rin and Baldroy!" Finnian couldn't stay still.

Kagome tilted her head, "What's of you, Finnian? Had he yet thanked you?"

He threw his arms to the sky, hopping on his feet, "Mr. Chlaus thanked me by letting me to play with his doggie, before he goes!"

She clapped her hands, genuinely happy for Finnian for one small blessing, "Oh, how kind of him! I know how much you like dogs." Kagome smirked deviously to the dog, who then became wary just by that expression, "I'll let you two get right on your play session then! I must not keep the good guest waiting."

The gardener cheered, lunging after a trembling Ailbhe for an intense petting time, "Come on, puppy! Let's go play!"

The dog cried.

Meanwhile on the way to bid a farewell to the guest Kagome snickered in glee, "That's a good enough discipline as any!"

* * *

A/N: I'm feeling pretty generous, so you get a surprise update today! c:


	12. 11: Night

Chapter Eleven: Night

* * *

The moon was high in the sky, among its' tiny children. Mr. Chlaus and his exhausted (and suspiciously limping) dog had long since left for home. And Ciel was getting ready for bed.

Thin hands gripped the bowl tightly as it poured water gently over the young boy's shampooed head, ridding soap from his silky hair and thoroughly-washed skin. Ciel withdrew in his bathtub with a satisfied sigh, "Today was a successful day, as always."

Kagome, on her knees, chuckled, as she was dipping the bowl for more water, "So had your negotiations gone well, then?"

"But of course." Ciel smirked, flicking lightly at the heated water, "My competitions shall be defeated, and come crawling to me, begging me for reprieves!"

She smiled, kindly, "They will, milord, as long as you are ruthless."

He paused, criticizing that smile. And then, after few long minutes, he glared, "I don't like that smile." The white-blue lines of the contract glowed evilly at her, "It doesn't suit you."

His lady butler was amused, pouring soap in her cupped hand, "And why would you say that, young master?" Her black nails openly mocked the boy, as they forever reminded him as of what she was. The circle mark was bold on her left hand, the very same design of what resigned in his right eye. It got bubbled over with shampoo, when her hands massaged his hair for the second time.

"It's fake." Ciel decided, "As you are."

The smile shrunk, now with a sad edge. She agreed, "When the truth was changed into a lie, nothing is any longer a truth."

"…" He was quiet, now pondering over her words.

Kagome picked up the bowl, "Head down, please." The boy did as he was requested, and felt the bubbles of scented cleansing chemicals rolled from his body. Gradually melting away into the warm body of water that awaited underneath.

"Ah," she shooed backward, to give him some space, gathering together the supplies she used to wash her young lord, "do you want one moment of relaxation for yourself? The water is still good."

She didn't need an answer. She just bowed and moved to put away the supplies and to dry her hands, rolled down her sleeves, pulled on her gloves, dragged on her jacket, and left. She left him alone to his thoughts.

Ciel eyed the murky water, before he deemed it safe to rest in.

"…They never thought to look in their sinks and bathtubs for monsters, did they?" He murmured, "Yet here I am, mingling with such a creature…" The boy said no more, closing his eyes and let himself drown in the water, if only for a short moment.

After all she will never let him to die.

The water was a warm embrace, reminding him of his mother's hugs.

He felt a strange prick of awareness, and his eyes slid open. Something dangerous stared at him through the water, and he stared back. He never went up, managing the eye contact with the thing from underwater.

A pair of devilish hands break into the water and lunged for him, curved nails glinted under the dim lights and the sickly skin looked rotten to him.

And he was forcibly dragged out, air slammed into his starved lungs. He choked and coughed, shrugging away the lithe hands off his small shoulders.

Kagome chuckled, towels perching on a shoulder, "Alright, I think you had a long enough moment now, milord." The jacket is absent, her sleeves rolled up, and the gloves were put away.

Ciel scowled, now wheezing, but allowed himself to be helped up to his feet. Kagome, as gentle as she could be, rubbed his head dry, carefully minding his nakedness. She was a woman after all.

Even if he saw no point to it, when she attended to him every single day.

He stepped out from his bathtub to be rubbed dry. After that was done he was made to wear his pajama.

He watched Kagome to pluck the plug from the drain, and the water to slowly swirl its way to the depth below. He was led to his room and was tucked into his bed. Ciel remembered her bidding him a good night and the dim lights of the candles were extinguished, dropping the complete darkness on him.

The gentle darkness lured him to sleep.

The gentle darkness who now wore a face of his kind, good mother.

_She who drowned, may she live evermore._

* * *

A/N: My favorite chapter written so far. I think it said a lot about the relationship between Ciel and Kagome so far. Thoughts?

Good news, few more chapters up ahead are wholly original from canon for the time being. Hope you will enjoy! :)


	13. 12: Disciplines

Chapter Twelve: Disciplines

* * *

With the good master in bed, it was time to discipline the three fools. Kagome broadened her shoulders, her eyes shut, and her hands clasped behind her back. The said three cringed from her worn expression.

"I will tell you this, while today was successful with Mr. Chlaus, you all were not. You gave me, and yourselves, hindrances." A heavy frown was brightly obvious on her gentle face. The trios whimpered, but didn't say a word. She continued, "I know that I trained you lots better than this. And I also know that I helped you to control your impulses."

They hang their heads, in shame. In the background, a lively water fountain rolled down its' multiple waterfalls and had a large honking white goose, waddling cheerfully in its' water. The night sky had the thousands of stars shined and blinked, clashing against the low lights that glowed from the garden.

Kagome crossed her arms, her lips pressed tight at the three, "I understand you wanted to show off new skills I had taught you," They nodded at this, but their heads were still lowered, "but you showed no attempt to control yourselves at all today."

Mey-Rin, Finnian, and Baldroy slowly nodded, fretting, but held their words trapped on their tongues.

"I will apologize," they rose their heads in surprise at that word, "if I impressed you all with no duties to be part of," Kagome's shoulders shrugged, and before they can protest, she continued, "when, in fact, I had those very duties ready for you."

"Miss Kagome…" They wilted, ashamed at this new found truth.

"Baldroy, I was tending the meat ready for you, so you can prepare it for Mr. Chlaus." Baldroy whimpered at Kagome's declaration, feeling very guilty, "I still do not trust you with meats yet, but I had trusted you with everything else. You had been doing well with preparation of suppers. Even Young Master was fooled that he thought I had a large part of his daily meals, when I only did half the works. I was very willing to let you to impress the guest."

He moaned, "I'm so sorry, boss…" Baldroy fully remembered how she gave his name to Mr. Chlaus, telling him that he was the one that made the Donburi, even when _she_ was the one that did everything outside of simply placing down meats on the rice. His stomach dropped.

"That meant we are back to the lesson one of cooking, again." Kagome reminded Baldroy, "Impulse control."

Baldroy accepted, with a regretful nod.

"Finnian," the boyish gardener paled, "I taught you to think of consequences." Sadly he nodded to her words, "I taught you to look at every tool you have. Are they locked? Are they put up, properly? Are they readily available when you need them?" Finnian tucked in his fingers, squirming, and nodded more. Kagome sighed, "Because of your failure to check the weed killer tank, I will be forced to look after you, until I am certain you make thinking ahead into a habit again."

Finnian sighed, already feeling like a child again. He just wanted to be treated like an adult…

"Pity, because I was hoping you can show off your sunflowers and roses to Mr. Chlaus, and to give him a bouquet yourself." Kagome shook her head, her shoulders pulled low, "As strange as the mix of those flowers are, they are rather beautiful together." Finnian whined to this, hurt, but he understood completely.

He twiddled his thumbs, looking back to the cheerfully in bliss of ignorance goose in the water, "You ain't gonna take away Samson from me, aren't you?"

Hearing its' name, the goose stopped waddling in the water, and turned to Finnian, "Ronk? rronk, rronk!" It climbed out of the fountain and stormed to Finnian, with its' great wings flapping in a hurry, "Rrrrrronk!"

"Oh, Samson." Finnian dropped to his knees, letting the goose rubbing its' head on his arm. Unable to take the thought of his feathery best friend taken away, he grabbed it into a hug, "Please don't take him away!" He wailed.

Samson honked, in surprise, kicking its orange webbed feet.

Kagome eyed the young gardener, picking up a hand to stop his rant, "Remember your strength training, Finnian." He loosened the grip on his pet goose, "Plus, you passed that one already, so I would have no reason to take away Samson, especially when he had nothing to do with your mistake today."

"Oh." Finnian stuffed his face into the mass of white feathers, his body staggered into a long relief. "Thanks."

"Rr-onk." Samson grimaced, but content with being showered with attention.

Unbeknown to Finnian, Baldroy and Mey-Rin too gave a sigh of relief at keeping the goose. They were rather fond of the wacky thing, after all.

"Mey-Rin," the aforementioned maid squeaked, fidgeting, "your balance left a lot to desire. And your performance today, showed me that you're unable to focus on tasks under stress." She drooped under Kagome's criticisms, "I was positive you were ready and be able to show what you are capable of, but now…I'm not so sure you are. We will be resuming your balance lessons and to improve your abilities under stress as well." Kagome pointed out, her face verily neutral to her fiddling underlings.

Mey-Rin couldn't speak, her face red with humiliation, but she nodded wearily.

"Am I understood?" Kagome eyed the three.

Weakly, they exclaimed mutually, "Understood…"

"I must admit, I do not like to be the villain when it came to this," Kagome confessed, ignoring their verbal disagreements, "but disciplines had to be done. As we are servants of the Phantomhive family, we cannot afford them embarrassment and I cannot afford you all to be dependent on me to continue correcting your mistakes. For this, I'm doing my best and also of as my duties, to make sure you three will not make a shame out of our young lord."

They nodded, Samson the goose long since on the ground, attentive to Kagome's preaching.

"As you have faith in me, I wish to have faith in you all to be responsible and to be the best you can be, for Master Ciel. Until then, let's work together to be the best you all can be and have Young Master be proud of having servants like you all!"

They cheered.

* * *

A/N: Surprise Goose! :'D


	14. 13: Horns

Chapter Thirteen: Horns

* * *

She rose from the gaping wound that was in between the poor soul's chest, what seemed like black water tinkled and rolled from her skin. Maleficent horns branched from the back of her head like a crown, both perforated ends suspended with hanging jewelries and they were _sharp_. Those ends curved and tunneled toward her eyes, but never touching. Her shiny mane were stuck on her damp, black-watered skin, and made into her own cape as it left water tracks behind.

Thin film of sticky leathers were dragged among the bloodied floor, twitching and broken. Her skin was white, and her eyes…he could never forget her eyes. Her brilliant blue eyes that gleamed from the dark. She refused the begging fools, all overjoyed by her arrival from the depth of hell. Her _eyes_ then landed on the boy in the cage.

"Was it also ye that called to I?" Her voice…

Her voice_s_…so many grinded in one beautifully tragic sound.

A cold shiver ran through his veins, his mind screamed from the horror that was she. But his heart cried in relief.

He could not say nothing, his trembling eyes never leaving the hellish being. He could not look away.

It was his eyes that gave the creature her answer.

"Very well. This one shall too show you the power I wield." Within matter of minutes she slaughtered and _tortured _the masked fools who sought to use his life to bring them power, leaving few alive to die slowly and to witness everything and of their young victimized boy's exchanges with the she-devil that they desired for themselves.

Everything she showed him, and he watched it all, sickened yet found pleasure in viewing his sufferers being punished. Ripping long ropes of guts out of these pathetic bastards was her personal favorite, he remembered, as he saw her repeating it out of sheer joy.

She trapped the doors so there would be no escaping from she-devil, when she lunged for her first victim. He remembered laughing when he heard them screaming from the gruesome sight, the very same way they laughed at him when he cried.

* * *

A/N: I felt some needs to address some concerns. No, there isn't any 'real' pairing _yet_, but there will be a ton of relationship developments between Kagome and Ciel. There's a possibility that it may end up being Ciel/Kagome, IF he grows old enough, but there's a chance it won't be. Also, puberty on Ciel's part. Lastly, I didn't erase Sebastian out of existence, he'll show up at some point later in the story.

This is TL;DR of the note posted in my profile. ':) hopefully my readers will feel better now.

Also, strange chapter, ya? C:


	15. 14: Darkness

Chapter Fourteen: Darkness

* * *

Every victim was made to stay alive and watched themselves being literally ripped apart; seeing their own skin, muscles, fats, organs, and everything in between, coming off their bones, when the thing from hell was torturing them and taunting them for their failures and their sins, with the crying audience clamoring over each other to get away from the thing.

Her black water would go into a fool's mouth and drown them from the inside, while it seemed to stab, scratch, and poison every organ within. The screams from those fools the black water had victimized, were delicious.

He thought it had happened for hours, when the entire show ended only in minutes. He recoiled when the she-thing appeared in front of his prison, fear choking him.

Murky water rose, to partially hide the bodies from him, though stayed dry in few areas and remained far away from where he was. The candles' flames violently died, and low-light bulbs blew up, with a hissing crackle, and the damp darkness fell. He could hear dripping of water that blanketed the walls and it slowly rained from the ceiling. He could no longer see the torn bodies of his sufferers, and could barely see the being with two surviving candles at each corner of his cage.

"Be calm, young one." The echoing voice soothed, when she lowered her blackened knees to meet his eyes, "Is this not what ye also wanted?" Dangerous water pooled from where she kneeled, her body dripping terrible things. It was as if she was perpetually wet. Those water, though, never touched him.

It took long minutes, but he gave her a trembling nod, speechless.

She smiled, serenely, yet it unmatched her terrifyingly appearance, "In the exchange of thy soul, I shall be thy servant in life. Do ye not agree?"

The word, yes, was on the very tip of his tongue, but he was afraid.

The thing looked as if she wanted to sigh at his distress, "Ye will never enter the heaven should ye agree to mine offer. Ye shall rot with mine own ten of thousand sins should ye allow a being such as I gift ye unimaginable powers to command."

Power? To command? Anger rolled in, mashed together with grief and pain, and he stared, _stared_, right the devil whore's beautifully ugly eyes. She repeated, to allow her words to puncture through his grief-fogged mind, taunting him.

_Revenge_?

The yes came loose, in a loud cry.

* * *

A/N: Anons, dear, I can't reply if you're on anons. :/ If you want me to reply, then please come on your account (or get one?) so I can thank you for your comments and to answer your questions (without spoilers). :)


	16. 15: Memories

Chapter Fifteen: Memories

* * *

Ciel woke, with a gasp. His skin had a thin film of sweat, reminding him of what the drenched creature perpetually wore.

"My lord, had you a nightmare?" Kagome frowned, worry enriched in her bright, _human_ eyes, after she drew open the curtains, freeing the morning light to rain in his room. She had been watching him writhing and tossing in his bed, debating if she should awake him and be staring into the barrel of his gun again, or just let him to fight the dream on his own. Ciel realized this, as she always made to check on him during every nightmare he had.

He shook his head, reclining against his crumbled pillows while wiping his brows with a sleeve, "No. Memories. I was dreaming memories." Ciel rested his head against her soft hands as they reached to tame his wild hair, contented.

"Doesn't look as if they're good memories to have, milord." Kagome's brows drew together, her eyes watched him warily.

Ciel disagreed, relaxing to his lady butler's tender cares, "No, they're good memories, Kagome. Very good memories." Tiny residues of a lost smile formed his lips.

She dropped a brow, obviously wondering if she should ask, not believing his words. At his relief Kagome didn't.

She knew him well, after all.

* * *

A/N: Review please~and any criticism are always appreciated too!


	17. 16: Mice

Chapter Sixteen: Mice

* * *

"Gahhh, lordy, lordy, freakin' god damned mice." Baldroy groaned, staring at a damaged wire. He had his head inside a square hole in the floor, for inspections, "They did numbers on the wiring!"

Mey-Rin frowned worriedly, when she saw the damages from over the chef's shoulder, "I didn't think the outbreak would have spread all the way out here…That looked pretty bad."

"What should we do? Lay out traps?" Finnian chewed on his glove, Samson in his arms, "But Miss Kagome said they get smart too, so we can't use the same traps over 'n over…"

Baldroy removed himself from the flooring, slamming a fist on the nearby wall, "Good mother freakin' god, no wonder! I prepared traps two weeks ago, and got a ton of these lil' shits the first week. Second week, zip! Nada!" He groaned, "If I had known these little whiskered shits can actually learn, I would have done things _differently_! Maybe prepare a division or somethin'!"

Finnian and Mey-Rin glanced at each other, pitying the ranting chef. "So, what should we do, Baldroy?"

"And now they're breeding a _fuckton_!" Baldroy screamed, when he saw an innocent, and _bold_, mouse staring at the trio.

"Squeak?" It twitched its' whiskers, not realizing its very presence was taunting them.

Finnian twitched, inching to a statue in a corner. The chef and the maid noticed.

"No, Finny, remember the impulse control!" Baldroy snapped.

Mey-Rin piped in her two cents, "Think of the consequences too! I would have lay out thousands of mousetraps, and someone will get hurt!"

Finnian whimpered, now realizing the chaos he would have left behind and a disappointed butler they admired so much, "But mice are bad to have…"

Samson honked angrily, aggravated by the sad voices. He glared at the curious mouse, blaming the plague-carrying animal for the grief, and hissed. He squirmed and flapped out of Finnian's arms, and then lunged after the mouse in a sudden burst of speed.

"Rrrr-ooonnnnkkk! Ronk! _Rrrrronnkkkk!"_

"Samson!" The gardener gasped.

The mouse squealed and fled in the hall. The open-winged goose gave chase, snapping after its' tail with the orange beak.

"…Samson didn't have impulse control training though…" Mey-Rin remembered, shocked by the rage the bird exhibited.

Finnian was silent, startled by his feathery friend's temper he didn't know it had.

Baldroy blinked, chewing on the unlit cigarette in his mouth in thought, "That is…not a bad thing, isn't it? Because I think," the mouse shrieked when it finally got caught and was hanging from the bird's mouth, "we may finally have something the lil' shits can't outrun."

Samson paced toward the surprised servants, pride radiating from his body, "Rrronk!"

The mouse cried.

There was a glint in the chef's eyes, "Alright! Let's get them lil' fuckers, before they take over the manor!" The power in his voice made Finnian and Mey-Rin to cheer with him.

"Rrronnkkk?" Samson blinked, the mouse still hang from his beak.

Finnian bounced toward Samson, overjoyed by the goose's capability, "Thank you, Samson! Think you can catch more mice for us?"

The goose honked, agreeing, joyfully opened its wings to show its willingness, and…opened the beak by accident. The mouse was freed.

It landed on the ground with a minute noise, and _ran_ for its tiny life.

Everyone went quiet, for exactly seven seconds, before they roared at the escape, _"Gettttt itttttt!"_

They scrambled after the grey animal.

The screaming from the other side from the manor had Kagome pausing during her routine in the kitchen. She spotted a streaking mouse, among the floor and frowned at its sneaky presence. The female butler shook her head, disappointment weighted her shoulders, "And they are hauling profanities too, right where the young master and his guests are…"

She set down the spoon, and rolled down her sleeves, "Best to put an end to it, before they shame milord farther…How troublesome." Kagome spun away from the turned-off oven, leaving the shimmying pan to sit.

She paid no mind to the husked body of the tiny mouse, as it was being taken away by a suspicious puddle of water.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I can confirm mice intelligence firsthand. Ugh. Of course it varies from areas to areas, but here they are able to learn from our habits.


	18. 17: Ace

Chapter Seventeen: Ace

* * *

Ciel practically purred when he dealt his ace of the cards, swiftly laying them out across the table, "Full house. I bet to say none of you have a better hand." He smirked when his fellow gentlemen and a fine lady in red, groaned and tossed away their lousy cards. Unwilling to separate from their hard earned prizes, they reluctantly gave him generous amount of their colorful tokens.

"Such a greedy child," a large man was disgruntled, snacking away his given meal of a sandwich, "just how carefully had you plan this?"

The boy sniggered, but didn't reveal the truth-that he already routed out multiple paths to achieve his goals ahead of time, even if some parts are pure luck. The victory in his eye vanished when he heard the sounds of his servants frantically chasing after the crying mice, "Hmp. Mice."

"Ugh," the plump man shook his head in disgust, "How long must the filthy things bring plagues to us, and rot our foods? Why are they free to roam?" He resigned from playing another round of the poker, as did the familiar man, choosing to drink a nice glass of whiskery instead.

The scar-faced man passed around the cards, speaking no words to anyone.

"Free to roam?" An Asian man laughed, tapping his cards, "He allowed them at large, you mean."

The lady in red agreed, tossing a card, "Quite right. He always had an eye for an ace." Red eyes glided to the amusing earl, "Will you be taking your turn again, Earl Phantomhive?" She cooed, her cards pressed to her chest.

"I raised the bet. I don't believe in dealing cards when they're not yet in my favor." He pushed all of his prizes, "All." The players eyed the growing prize, before glancing at their cards. The lady in red and the foreign man pressed all of their remaining tokens to join its pile, prompting the scarred man to do the same.

A bespectacled gentleman, who took no part of the game from the beginning, grinded his teeth, "Enough of your talks! When will you get rid of the wandering mice?!"

Ciel laughed, "Soon. I already had Chlaus to secure the necessaries to do so." He withdrew a card, smirking.

The young earl tipped his head to introduce Mr. Chlaus, who causally drew a cigar and lit it in greeting. He inhaled and exhaled out smoke, "Heh." His dog, who he felt was free to bring with, eyed the scowling man.

Ciel continued, "It will be quite a bother to find their nest and eradicate all that resigned there." The smirk sharpened, "I hope you have prepared a tidy sum, Lord Randall!"

Lord Randall paled, "Vulture!"

Ciel curled his fingers around his cards, continuing his mocking of the man, "Have you the right to insult my family crest? You who have spent a fortune on bloodhounds that cannot even catch even a single mouse?"

"Blah, a foul!" The Chinese man injected, with a sigh. He rejected his cards, his inferior cards facing up, "I fold! This game is difficult. And I have no more tokens. A pity!"

"What would the Earl's cards be?" The Italian fellow, the very one with a hefty scar across his face, thought out loud. It was Ciel's turn to deal his own cards.

Ciel gave a criticizing look at his cards, "I supposed it is time I ended this silly game." He still kept his cards, and glanced at the retreating Mr. Randall, "When will you have my compensation ready?"

He flinched, a hand on the knob, "…this evening."

"Very well, I will fetch someone to bring you a carriage to pick you up later today. I'll even have your favorite tea ready!" Ciel showed off a card to him, an Ace.

"You're a greedy child. And it will be your downfall, Phantomhive!" Mr. Randall snapped, making sure to slam the door close after him.

The young earl snickered, "Greed, eh?" and he revealed his entire hands.

A Royal Flush.

* * *

A/N: I have very little knowledge of poker games. Please excuse any error and feel free to correct me. And as for poker instead of a cue sports, well, I frankly think that game is better to show Ciel's ambitions than any billiard could.

Anyway, that's it for a time being! The updates won't resume until June 12th 'n it won't be everyday update anymore. Instead it will be for twice a week! I needed a break from ffnet to try and work on Lady Exorcist until then.

I'm still looking for a beta reader, by the way!


	19. 18: Sheepish

Chapter Eighteen: Sheepish

* * *

Mice snatched and tossed far out of the window, Kagome shook her head at the guilty party, "I'd much rather you without profanities." Baldroy looked sheepish.

"Yes, madam…" They chorused, their heads bowed.

"I do must say, Samson is proving to be an effective mouser." Kagome patted the goose's head, "I'm impressed. If all of you are willing to spend few hours every night, with Samson, I'm sure we will catch all of the pests before the week is over." Mey-Rin, Baldroy, Finnian, and Samson were sparkly-eyed.

Kagome continued, "Regardless, please get back to your works." She dismissed the trio and the honking goose.

"Yes, madam!"

They streaked away, prompting the butler to issue another order, "And no running in the manor!" At this they slowed, embarrassed.

Kagome spotted Tanaka, same as always, drinking his tea, on his usual mat against a wall, "Would you like some additional tea, Mr. Tanaka?" She didn't get a reply, but she nodded just the same, "Alright, I will return to check on you. And thank you for not getting caught up in their antics. It's not good for your health."

"Oh oh oh." Tanaka laughed, sipping his drink.

"Good grief." She dropped a sigh, "And now I must attend to the young master and his lingering guests…"

* * *

A/N: A bit of a filler chapter, but a look in Kagome's treatments of the 'three idiots' are always good, haha. c':

Sorry for the delay. Stuffs happened today. :/ Will update maybe Monday/Tuesday. I don't know yet.


	20. 19: Teas

Chapter Nineteen: Teas

* * *

A cart full of teas sets and a hot pot rolled up to the parlor room, and she knocked on the door, "Teas are here."

"Oh! Miss Kagome, come in! Grell, open the door for her, won't you?" A lady's voice called out, and a scrawny-looking bespectacled man pulled open the door. He was trembling, but wore a blush at the sight of the infamous lady butler.

Kagome greeted, pushing the cart in, "Young Master, Madame Red, Sir Lau and Lady Ran Mao, I brought teas."

"Hmp, don't spoil them too much, I don't want them to overstay their welcomes." Ciel remarked, accepting a cup on its saucer from his lady butler.

Lau gasped at the young earl's bluntness, "So mean! We aren't that horrible, aren't we, Ran Mao?" The woman comfortably on his laps, said nothing, merely accepting her delicious-smelling tea. She bowed her head in thanks, before savoring it. Lau was given his, "Say, what is this tea? It had a wonderful smell to it." He sniffed it, before tasting, "Sweet too."

"Fortnum and Mason's Darjeeling Tea, sir." Kagome smiled, pouring the tea into Madame Red's cup.

Red narrowed her eyes to her meek butler, "Pay attention, won't you? This is how one pour a tea."

Grell squeaked, but he nodded.

Kagome's brows creased, concerned about her fellow butler, "Would your butler be able to drink some tea, Madame Red? I understand that he's merely a butler, but his nerves seemed to be shot."

Red pulsed her lips, before agreeing, "I suppose…just as long he don't spill it on the carpet. He's very clumsy."

"Very well. Sir Grell, would you like a cup? Darjeeling will calm your nerves." She held the cup on its saucer out to Grell, letting him to choose whether if he want to drink it or not.

Grell's blush was shaded darker, "O-oh, th-thank you. Very kind of you…" He humbly accepted the offered cup.

Ciel grunted, but said nothing to his female butler's kindness. Kagome smiled at him, as she took her place between her master and Lau. The cart had been tucked away to a wall.

"Not only is your butler talented and marvelous, she's very considerate too!" Madame Red cooed, impressed, "Why not quit and join my employment, hm? I'm certain Grell could use some personal training!" Grell flushed bright red at this, finding her words to be easy to be taken out of context.

"Thank you for the offer, Madame Red, but Master Ciel had been good to me and I took pleasure working for him." Kagome declined.

Lau patted a hand on her lower back, inching slowly down, "What's of me, hm? I'm sure I can treat you much better than a mere child could!"

"Don't even think about it, Lau." Ciel muttered, eying the hand suspiciously.

"Lau!" Red gasped, shocked by such a blatant display. Grell's teacup was trembling on the plate, wondering if there will be physical punishment on Lau occurring.

"Put that hand any lower, and I will happily remove it, Sir Lau." Kagome's smile was sharp, "I don't appreciate men who touch me without permission." Her words were cinched, flowing through her clenched teeth.

Lau pulled back his hand, surrendering to their demands, "Oh, alright, alright. I will admit, Miss Kagome have a lovely derriere."

Ran Mao pinched his ear in response.

"Ow."

Ciel glared, "Please refrain from doing anything to my butler ever again, understood?"

"Certainly!" Lau laughed.

"Now, let's get back to the discussion. I have little time as it is." The young earl placed the saucer on the table, "Kagome, we will be hosting a party this evening, so please arrange a carriage to Lord Randall's home."

She placed a hand over her heart, and gave a bare bow, "Of course, milord. I will do so once this meeting is retired."

Ciel hummed in approval, "Good. Now, Lau, as you were saying…?"

* * *

A/N: Please review! Criticisms are always appreciated!


	21. 20: Headache

Chapter Twenty: Headache

* * *

Once Madame Red decided to yell at Lau for invading her nephew's personal space when he offered his services to get rid of a mouse in midst of their tiny circle, Ciel grew a pounding ache in his head from their loud exchanges. He removed himself from the parlor room for some time alone.

"Young Master?" Kagome trailed the boy, a drop of worry in her voice, "Are you well?" Ciel mutely rubbed his forehead, to which his butler nodded to, "I'll fetch you your tea and cake then? I'm certain it will leave you feeling better."

"Bring them to my study." Ciel muttered, groaning when a metaphorical hammer strike the front of his brain, "The headache is horrid."

"Wouldn't it be better if you rest in your bedroom instead?" Kagome chewed her painted lips.

"Blah, no. My time is tight as it is. I will be fine." Ciel waved it off, and paced into the hallway, "Don't forget to arrange for Lord Randall's carriage."

Kagome tipped at her waist, "Very well, milord, I'll do as you say." She watched him retreating, her ears listening to Madame Red's angry fussing and Lau's laughter. For a moment she frowned, but resigned as if there is nothing to be done about it.

Whatever _it_ is.

Ciel heard the door behind him clicked closed, and rest his back against it with a sigh, "What a tedious day this is…" He stepped forward to his desk. He choked when he was pulled backward in a tight grip and felt a damp cloth slammed down on his mouth and his nose from behind. The odorless chloroform made ways quickly into his body, and slowly he fell into a dreamless sleep. Ciel went limp against the intruder's.

"We got 'em, boss!"


	22. 21: Taken

Chapter Twenty-One: Taken

* * *

Wheels turned smoothly on the hardwood, teas inside its containers barely rippled with the motion. Her high heels clanked against the ground, echoing in the silent hall. Kagome hummed under her breath, "Lay me to sleep and kiss my eye*…Ah, here we are." She stopped before the door of her master's study and swiftly knocked, "Young master, I got your tea and your cake!"

There was no response at all from her usually alert master, so she knocked again, "Young master?"

Still no answer. "Hm. May be sleeping…" Kagome hummed, turning the knob, "I'm coming in." She pulled her cart with.

What she saw had her sighing and cupping her cheeks, "Oh dear! Look at the mess!" The shelves were emptied, books were thrown and overturned. The dressers from her master's desk were ripped out and had its supplies tossed away. The window took the blunt of the attack, where the curtains were torn and the glass broken into.

And there were no Ciel in sight.

Kagome held her face, a hand tucked underneath her armpit, "Oh, oh my, how troublesome…now the cake is going to waste, with my master taken from me." A tired moan was spilled from her lips, "What to do, what to do…Should I clean this up, return the cart, call for the cleanup, or wait for my master to call?"

Her arms fell, gripping the handle of the cart, before she heard a particularly large shard of glass shattering on the floor, leaving a mark on the carpet, "This room then." Kagome decided, "My master will be alright, I'm sure, but oh, he will be late to the dinner meeting…" She said to herself, plucking a book to straighten it out, "Oh, oh my, dear, such a troublesome dilemma."

The book was returned to its original spot.

"My dear, there is no danger*…" Kagome swept up the broken shards from the carpet, quietly singing to herself, "We can burn it and leave…" The desk was righted, the dressers returned with its intended supplies inside, "No one suspects…" The window was repaired and the curtains fixed.

Kagome dusted her hands, before pushing her cart out of the hallway, the room back to its' former glory, "Now then…what's to do about the cake?" She frowned, pondering over on her plans that had been screwed up by her master's lacking presence, "Can't feed it to my master who was not here…What to do, what to do…"

Her heels clanked on the floor, echoing disconsolately.

* * *

A/N: She was singing lyrics by **A.F.I**, first is _Prelude 12/21_ (which I decided would be great as _Troublesome_'s main theme song) and latter _Beautiful Thieves_, for foreshadowing.


	23. 22: Money

Chapter Twenty-Two: Money

* * *

Ciel spat, his spit mixed with the redness of his blood smeared on the carpet, and glared at the man responsible for his kidnapping from his home, "So, it was you, Azzurro Vanel of the Ferro Family." He sneered, bruises on his face overlapping painfully.

The scar-faced Italian grinned, lighting his clipped cigar, "Figured the king of the toy palace would be a snot-nosed brat."

Ciel grimaced at the insult, "What is it that you want?"

Azzurro inhaled his cigar, before blowing a near-perfect circle of white smoke, "What else? Money, and you're in the way, as well are your tea-stained-brained Englishmen. You know, people like you," his Doberman dogs snarled softly from his glance to them, "made us Italian mafia have a very difficult time to consult business here in this tea-reeked country." Azzurro sighed from another inhale of his expensive cigar.

He snickered, "Think about it," the Italian waved his cigar around to emphasize his point, "what is the best way for men like I to make money?"

The earl bit back a sigh at the idiot's boring lecture. Where is Kagome? Oh, right, because he needed to weed out a goddamn rat from his circle, so she waited instead for his signal.

"So, that leave drugs." Azzurro sneered, "When we arrived here, not a whiff of lovely smell of drugs. You Watchdogs cleaned them all out, leaving us nothing!"

Ciel shifted, not comfortable in the binds he was tied up in, "Since '68, the Queen decreed there be no violate drugs in Her country and prevent any further spread of accommodating of the dealers." His glare turned dark, as he declared the fact bluntly.

The Mafia Boss grunted, "And there we have it, good fellows! Englishmen are prunes!" He announced to his chuckling men. He approached to the small boy, rising his face to level with the older man's, "Now then, we're a lot alike-we're out to make money, ya? So why not make a deal with me and you'll get home alive?" Azzurro blew smokes in Ciel's face.

He coughed, wrinkling his nose at the disgusting smell, "I have no intentions to scheming with filthy gutter rats like you."

Azzurro laughed, sitting on his desk, "So you say, but I can't help but wonder of the other fellows," referring of men in Ciel's circle, "sitting tight in fear of Ciel Phantomhive, the Queen's favorite sweeper of the dark." He flicked ashes off his cigar, "We were very careful in Italy, didn't deal a single drug, yet we were spotted. Didn't think you'd use that Chlaus to find us!" The mafia boss laughed, making his men chortling with him.

"Now…" He met Ciel's eye, "Surely ya know what we want. Give us the drugs," and he grinned, "and you'll go home alive."

Ciel smirked, mocking him, "If I failed to return, Chlaus will turn over evidence to the government. It would be best to say good bye to your mafia."

"Ya fucking brat! You shouldn't look down to your elders!" Azzurro's pupils shrunk, in rage, "Where are my drugs?!" He snapped, and Ciel found himself staring down the barrel of his finely craft gun, "I have my men waiting in your mansion, so if you don't spit out the drugs, I'll have your beloved servants offed one by one!" With a one-second pause, he added as an afterthought, "Hell, I'll even kill that fucking duck of yours!"

Ciel had to laugh, correcting him of Samson's proper species, "It is a goose."

"Does it look like I give a damn what that lit' feathered chicken shit is?!" The Italian man roared, "Fuck it, I'll have the shit killed too!"

Ciel was breathless from the hilariously of it all, and made the smirk into a smile, "Then I hope your men know how get around the game of 'play fetch'." His cheek was slammed with the cap of the Mafia boss' leather shoe. The force had his body fell to the carpet and was turned away from the enraged Azzurro to the wall. Something he was a bit thankful for. The binds restricted painfully raw from the kick, but it kept him awake and the sleepiness of unconsciousness at bay.

There was a burning sensation at his back. The scar-faced bastard threw down his cigar on him.

There was a sound of the phone being picked up, and Azzurro yelled into the mouthpiece, "Hear that? Our negotiations broke down, so kill 'em!"


	24. 23: Letter

Chapter Twenty-Three: Letter

* * *

Kagome paced in the hallway, pretending to search for her taken master, "Oh, where can he be?" She sighed, "The cake came out lovely." The said cake was left in the kitchen, particularly because she didn't much feel like carrying it around like a fool.

"Miss Kagome!" Kagome looked from the behind, and saw Mey-Rin waving a folded paper to her, "You have a letter!"

Behind her was Finnian, Baldroy, and a honking Samson chasing the maid, frantically calling Mey-Rin to stop, "Why are you running?! Miss Kagome said no running in the manor!"

Kagome stared, deadpanned, _But all of you are running…and is Mey-Rin's left shoe untied? _She said nothing of it, "To whom was it addressed?" She glanced to the window, startling the man in the bush, before Kagome turned to Mey-Rin.

"To the attendant of Master Ciel! You!" Mey-Rin yelped, ignoring her co-workers behind her.

As predicted, once the maid got dangerously close to the lady butler, she skipped over her laces, and fell. As she fell, Mey-Rin collided with Kagome, and had her head embraced by the older woman's chest. Kagome, for once, allowed herself to fall, a strand of her hair was clipped by a passing bullet that exploded the window, shattered an ancient vase, and struck itself into the gold wall.

Mey-Rin was stiff, unable to move from her superior's firm breasts, and missed Kagome's asking for the letter that was tightly gripped and crackled in her hand.

The men and the goose was shocked, from the sight of an expressionless butler with a literal-streaming maid in between her bust and the shattered window.

"You three. I can't quite move with Mey-Rin on me. Help her off, won't you?" Kagome snapped the jealous males out of their stupors, and they stumbled over the other to pull the still-red-faced maid onto the floor.

"Um, is she okay?" Finnian poked Mey-Rin. She didn't twitch at all, but there was a drool from a corner of her happy mouth.

Kagome shook her head, a bit disgusted at the events, now on her knees, "I need to see the paper…Mey-Rin!" The maid was still unconscious, frozen stiff like a statue, "How troublesome." Kagome muttered, now tugging the paper, carefully exacting it from the bespectacled woman's rigor grip without tearing it.

Baldroy glanced out, watching a man with a rifle gun clumsily running away in the scrubs from the scene, "Huh, intruders…nasty pieces of work…" He looked back at Kagome and found her glaring at the paper, "What do you want us to do with 'em, boss?"

Kagome flapped the wrinkled paper to straighten it, before tucking it in a pocket inside her jacket, now on her heels, "I'll give chase to those that escaped, since they took our master-" Baldroy and Finnian's faces enriched with worries at this, "but if there are any more men _here_, get rid of them. If there are none, then please enjoy the cake in the kitchen. It'll be a waste otherwise."

"Yes, madam!" Finnian, Baldroy, and Samson, now perching on Finnian's head, saluted, confident that the butler will return their young master, alive.

Mey-Rin was still passed out on the floor.

In the background, Small Tanaka decided he wanted to give mice catching a try.

"Good, now, if you will excuse me," Kagome pointed to the hallway behind them, prompting the men to look back, "please patrol the area in that direction."

Baldroy nodded, turning his back to the butler, "Alrig-" he blinked, not seeing Kagome anywhere, "What the-?! Where did she go?" Finnian yelped, and Samson honked slowly, trembling. Baldroy rubbed his head, "Ninja, I guess." He shrugged, "Let's get on it then! Sooner we get done with the idiots, sooner we get to eat that delicious cake!" He pumped his arm. Finnian and Samson cheered.

Mey-Rin let out a long trail of squeal from her fallen position, curling into herself, "Mis-Miss Kago-Kagome's ch-chestttttt!"

Finnian blinked, a thought appeared in his head, "Hey, wait, what about Madame Red and Uncle Lau and his sis? Aren't they still here?"

"Awe, cripes." The chef groaned, "Guess we gonna convince 'em not to be nosy about it."

"Nosy about what? What just happened here?"

"Cripes."

* * *

A/N: Let's be honest. I really don't think, by judging of their real duties and the length of their time in the manor, they'd be that ignorant of the intruder that nearly killed Sebastian and Mey-Rin in canon media. I understand if Yana left it like that on purpose since it's very early on in the story, but surely there's another way she could have the trios looking ignorant of the blatant bullet in the wall. Just my 2 cents though. So, due to that, I made it so they do know and are doing something about it. c:' Or something.


	25. 24: Woof

Chapter Twenty-Four: Woof

* * *

"We failed, boss!" The hired hand cried in the mouthpiece of the radio phone during their escape in the forest. The car was bellowing a long cloud of dust and dirt from the speed. Both the driver and the passenger cringed when their boss roared at them with profanities.

"You useless screw-ups! This is why you're garbage!"

The passenger cringed again, praying he will live through their boss' lashings. It was then he caught something strange in the cloud of dirt…a running shadow of human-shaped body. And it was chasing them.

It was so close the vehicle's rear that he could see a devious smile.

The other side of the connection, Azzurro sneered at his hired hands' failures, "Ugh…whatever, get back over here, alright, ya piece of shits?"

Then there were screaming. He had to laugh at the timing, "Did you run into a bear in the forest?" His men chuckled. Hope the bear eat them. Good riddance.

"Speed up! It's getting closer!" A man cried. Azzurro can hear the engine revving and protesting against the high speed it wasn't designed to handle. The gravels were grating against the reckless wheels. The whimpering panicking were ingrained with every sound he heard.

Azzurro sneered, at the persisting screaming, "Not funny. Cut it out already!" The men in the room frowned, curious as of just what kind of prank the two idiots were pulling.

Until everything went still. The engine was cut too quickly, something impossible in today's technology, and…he heard metal crunching, as if something heavy was walking on the top of the engine cover. There was a thin voice, he couldn't identify it, but he heard it, _"May I borrow your phone please?"_

Ciel sniggered, shifting over to see the Italian man's expression, while smoldering out the still-burning cigar with his weight, "Look like your men lost the game of fetch."

Enraged, Azzurro tossed the phone, stormed over and gave him his foot. Ciel gasped, his breath was stolen by the blow to his stomach. Azzurro then decided to give him a round of kicking, before he was sure the brat learned not to speak anymore. He didn't want to see Ciel's face either, so he hit him to face the white wall.

He grabbed the phone and shrieked, "If you morons don't respond I'm going to kill you!"

"Good day," a feminine voice cooed, "this is one of Phantomhive servants." Azzurro paled, his heart pounded in his ears, "I am wondering, is my young master with you?" He couldn't speak, sweat drenched his skin, and his men looked upon him, uncertain, "Hello? Is my young master with you? Hello?" There was something about the voice that he didn't like.

Amusement.

There was _amusement_ in that voice, as if she was having a complete fun terrorizing damn fools of his men.

Azzurro couldn't speak. How could he? There is no way his men could have change their voices into that of a woman's. _Impossible_. Yet there she was, using the radio phone to communicate with him, and somehow she had metals grinding each other. He can hear them _groaning_.

"Hello?" She repeated.

Ciel answered the phone instead, "Woof!"

* * *

A/N: A nice reviewer asked a question, however, she/he is an anon, so I will leave my reply here. But please do try and get an account, so I may answer you all in private. Heck, if you're shy, just PM me your review. There is no problem at all about privacy. I will respect it.

Anyway, to Jayne, there's seemed to be some confusion regarding the Ciel/Kagome pairing…That _might_ happen. That _might_ _not_ happen. Haha, basically, that pairing is undecided as of now. I explained in most details in my profile about them. But to sum up what I said in my profile, this story is basically about **developing relationships** and **characters**, just not so much on romantic. Thus, my comment in the summary.

And yes, Sebastian will show up. That's all I can say about him, haha. I never kicked him out of the story, nor did I 'really' replace him. I do kind of think some of my readers may be surprised with his role in the plot later on!

Happy reading! And thanks for keeping up with this tale!


	26. 25: Inquiries

Chapter Twenty-Five: Inquiries

* * *

"Ah, there he is." Kagome laughed, "I shall collect him immediately. Please take my apologizes for his intruding you and your time." She heard the phone chattering. The gentleman dropped his phone. Hm. She returned the phone to its container and handed it back to two wide-eyed men, "Thank you for letting me borrow this. I hope I didn't distress you too much."

They didn't say a word. The passenger surely felt the God had abandoned him, especially with how she intimidated them both.

Their car was an absolute wreck. It was resembling a crumbled up paper, with the metal sidings the exact same way. Only a few glass shards remained on the sole window. And, not only the car looked hellish, but so did the driver and the passenger. They had bruises and scrapes on their skins and holes in their clothes.

"Now, if you don't mind, I do have few inquiries I need you two to answer." The cover crackled farther under her weight, when she kneeled before them. One glanced underneath her skirt, by accident perhaps, and she gave him a disappointed look, "That's not a gentlemanly thing to do in this kind of situation, young man."

He startled, realizing he was in a car that was literally teeing between life and death on a cliff, and removed his sight from her skirt immediately. "Sorry." He squeaked. His partner glared at him, but it didn't last long. How could he, when fear was the main thing they both were feeling?

"Umm, yes…what would-d you li-like to know, ma-madam?" The driver sputtered, shaking.

Kagome laughed breathlessly, "First question, what is the name of your owner?"

"It's…It's Azzurro Vanel of the Ferro Family!" One yelped, when the car tipped little toward their death, a bit too quickly.

"Last question. His place?" Kagome hummed, cupping her face, as if she was entertained by their fearful expressions.

The driver cried, "The hideout is in the northern part of the east end! It's a huge white mansion!"

Kagome glowed, "Oh, thank you! Most kind of you~" She stood up, the metal groaned. The car teed back to the life.

They smiled shakily, "You'll…you'll let us go, right?" One had their knuckles white from gripping the wheel so hard.

The passenger pled, "We're just…just Vanel's hired hands!"

Kagome turned away, but she looked at them, seemingly surprised by this truth, "Oh? Why didn't you just say so? You two must be terribly busy." For a brief second they grinned, happy that they will live. She hopped off the car, and it tipped too dangerously in the back without her weight to keep it balanced.

"Have a safe trip!" Kagome waved, smiling serenely.

Those happy faces transformed into that of horror, when they realized…the woman wasn't going to let them live. They shrieked.

The car dropped into the depth below. Kagome checked the pocket watch, and sighed at the time, not minding the explosion that occurred, "My young master will be late to the dinner party…Oh, oh my, how troublesome." She clicked it close and tucking it back inside her jacket, "Best to hurry then."


	27. 26: Drowned

Chapter Twenty-Six: Drowned

* * *

Men gathered around the fenced mansion by Azzurro's command, their guns ready and their eyes sharp for any unwanted intruder.

_Tap_.

"Oh, oh my, such a spacious mansion." Kagome murmured, as she hopped before any man's eyes. Her voice had heads turning.

A man shouted, "A woman?! What can a little bitch do?" He was haughty. Men snickered, their guns lowering.

"Maybe she'd spread her legs for us, eh?" Another injected, laughing. Few men approached, lustful looks in eyes.

Kagome, insulted by their sexist comments, shook her head, "Yet, none of you even question how I even sneaked past you lots, yet here you fools are, thinking with their second heads." The man closest to her started to choke, feeling his throat very dry, "Fools should learn not underestimate, hm?"

No longer than two minutes had passed, men sprawled on the ground, some hanging over the railing, and some were laying on the stairs. Countless dead and few still alive.

One man was gagging, his skin very dry, and his face looked hollow, and his eyes were burgling, "W-wa-water!" He grabbed her ankle, "Ne-need wa-ter!" The man gasped, desperate for relief. She saw his tongue swollen.

Kagome's shoulders stumped, "Since you asked…" She snapped a finger and kicked his hand off her foot. With that she turned away to the door, leaving the poor gurgling man alone as they were _pouring_ out of his throat and nostrils, effectively drowning him from the inside. He collapsed in a dead limp not too long after, his body unable to take the stress of water blooming inside. The water was continually spilling from his mouth, like a never-ending fountain, and it was pooling around his bloated body. The white concrete was made black, shaded by the flowing liquid.

"Remind me to turn that off when I leave with my master." Kagome nodded to herself, not bothering to make a grand entrance. She was polite enough to close the doors behind her. Few watching men saw her, and were baffled on how she managed to enter their hideout with many guards. None heard any gunshot nor any sound of fighting from outside.

A man cried out, after glancing out the window to check, the sight of his dead and dying friends enraged him, "Kill her!" Without a doubt, more men stormed in the lobby, all from the upstairs and aimed their guns and rained their bullets.

Kagome lunged onto the long table, plucking together a stack of the plates that were set up prettily on the table, and she reached the end. She whipped the plates at the men, one by one, and men fell, their heads and throats split open. Without any additional plates to throw she twirled off the table and grabbed the white cloth into a great sweep once her feet met the waxed floor. She turned. There were sounds of items shattering on the ground, as the fabric flew in the air, naked and freed from the candle-stands and utensils previously on it.

The cloth soared through the air, blinding the men from her presence. The bullets were popping the flying fabric, tearing holes in it. Everything was thunderous, with men shouting, the guns booming, and things breaking.

With men distracted and fooled by the sailing tablecloth and using the shade of the unlit platform to her full advantages, Kagome leapt and landed on a platform behind a fat cluster of men, on her hands, and turned her spread legs into a sharp circle, not minding her skirt, with her stilettos her weapon. She left a long slash on every man's back, breaking few arms in the progress, disabling them to turn on her.

Men shrieked and were tossed on their legs from the force, but couldn't move away because of their injuries, and their fellow partners from the opposite platform couldn't shoot without killing their comrades. Shock enriched on their faces. Protected from more bullets for a time being, she repeated the attack multiple times, until she saw their spines bare raw and _chipped_. They were paralyzed. Few unlucky enough to be of short height, had their skulls and necks split open-they died immediately. Kagome flipped on her magically-bloodless feet, and gracefully turned to slam a foot into a moaning man's back. He, howling from his snapped spine, spilled over the railing to his death.

With that man gone, the mafia members from the opposite platform saw an opening and resumed shooting-their shock wore off and were replaced by, again, rage. Kagome laughed at their oversight, and simply dove behind the dizzy, trembling, and whimpering men on their knees, allowing them to be put out of their misery instead and not by her own hands!

Men cried, when they realized they had murdered their own comrades.

More appeared from a door, summoned by the witnesses' rages, and Kagome decided a fellow will be lucky enough to see what was underneath her skirt. She, spinning on the railing to avoid bullets, twisted around a column she hugged, her legs wide and grappled a poor fellow's head between her thighs. "Enugh?!" The man was shocked enough to drop his gun, the impact on the floor had a poor another male shrieking when a stray ammo cut him in his loin.

She hooked her ankles together, locking the fellow's head in.

Using the gravity of motion from her turn around the column with her arms gripping it, Kagome pulled the man with and _lifted_ his body as she twirled around the pillar. _Snap!_ The lucky fellow's weight had pulled apart his neck and his struggling body went limp. His feet crashed into his comrades, flipping them away and few fell over the railing, and Kagome purposefully used the lucky fellow as her body shield from the ammunition. The body was riddled with bloody holes, and she turned back to the inside of the platform once more, sending men flying overboard.

Getting bored with circling around the pillar for the third time, she parted her thighs to let go the dead lucky fellow and his body _flew_ over to the other side, crashing into a group of men that was there. Three were dead on the impact.

With one platform temporarily free of men she hopped behind a column, shielding herself from the raining bullets. Kagome pulled out her watch and clicked it open, "Tsk, 5:39…I don't have time for this." She frowned, "Drastic measures must be taken to get rid of the mice then." She snapped a finger.

The walls were dripping water. Followed with that were the echoing sound of doors closing and locking themselves, automatically. Confusion stilled the bullets, and men shouted among themselves. The drippings grew fatter, wilder, and faster. The ceiling started to pour torrents of water. The men panicked and tried to kick open the doors.

The floor below already had a shallow flood, steadily growing.

"What is in the fine fucking hell is going on?!" A man shrieked.

The flood already reached over the top height of the door below-the very one she entered from. Few bodies that fell over to the ground floor before, were floating, their blood weakly dying the water.

"This is impossible! Did the pipes burst or something?!"

Kagome whistled cheerfully. 5:41.

The water rose all the way to the ceiling. Unlike the hired guards that floated to the top, struggling to breathe and gasping for what little air that were there and banging on the ceiling, Kagome was still, behind the same column, with her feet firmly on the white floor. She had no need to breathe, and her hair and clothes defied gravity and remained down.

"It will take too long for them to die." Kagome remembered, "Takes 7 minutes for a healthy human being to drown, so…a helping hand is needed." She snapped her finger again, and the light bulbs, barely untouched from the high tide, blew from the ceiling. The electricity slithered from the cores and met with the flood, making it very reactive and flashing with blinding light.

The men's shrieking can be heard even through the thick walls.

5:43. There was no longer a flood, nor were there any evidence of water or blown lights anywhere in the entrance room. The room was just as it was before, minus the absent plates and the cloth off its table. And there were suspiciously clean bodies strewn everywhere, even in oddest of places. Why, there were even two on the chandelier!

Their clothes were dry.

Not a drop of water anywhere.

Kagome straightened her dry clothes, before the door that will bring her to her master, "Now, with that out of the way…No more delays!"

* * *

A/N: Mannnn I'm bad at writing actions. Nuggg. But, ah, Kagome's legs thing are inspired by Sanji from _One Piece_. Regardless this is one of my favorite chapters. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Sorry I took so long on updating! Life happened.

As I said long ago in this story, everything is purely unbeta'd and is edited to the best of my abilities. If glaring typos annoyed you, feel free to volunteer as my beta-reader. Take care, my dear readers!


End file.
